Chatham News

CHATHAM – The legal fight between the Chatham Bars Inn and the town – or at least the rhetorical battle – is escalating.
In a lawsuit filed in state Land Court Jan. 17, the Shore Road inn charged the town officials instructed then-Building Commissioner Justin Post to issue cease and desist orders in October for activities on its land in retaliation for the inn seeking damages for the town's eminent domain taki...

In Daniel Handler's view, stories with happy endings are just no fun.
A prime example is the series of novels Handler wrote under the pen name Lemony Snicket. In “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” bad things happen to three orphans over and over and over again.
“It's hard for me to think of a story that doesn't have a threat involved,” Handler, a Chatham summer resident, said last week in a telephone intervi...

CHATHAM – Although the chief reason most voters at Monday night's special town backed the purchase of the Eldredge Garage property was to expand downtown parking, the land could be put to a number of other uses, according to town officials.
Open space, public rest rooms, and even workforce housing are among the possible uses for the 1.4 acre site. Selectmen will have the ultimate authority to decide the use, a...

CHATHAM – Although the chief reason most voters at Monday night's special town backed the purchase of the Eldredge Garage property was to expand downtown parking, the land could be put to a number of other uses, according to town officials.
Open space, public rest rooms, and even workforce housing are among the possible uses for the 1.4 acre site. Selectmen will have the ultimate authority to decide the use, a...

CHATHAM – For eight years, Karolyn McClelland has lived with the possibility of losing her home due to what officials acknowledge was a “perfect storm” of mistakes and miscommunications.
Next week, special town meeting voters will be asked to fix the situation by transferring funds to cover back taxes on McClelland's Beach Plum Road property, taxes that would have already been paid in full had the property bee...

CHATHAM — Saying Selectman Amanda Love clearly didn't intend to circumvent the Open Meeting Law with a Jan. 9 email she sent to fellow board members and to the press, selectmen nonetheless acknowledged the apparent violation and underwent a short refresher course from town counsel Tuesday.
The Cape Cod Chronicle filed a complaint with the board about the email, which urged board members to consider promoting...

CHATHAM — Lawmakers on Beacon Hill are joining with Governor Charlie Baker to delay the implementation of a voter-approved law legalizing marijuana sales. Local officials are using that extra time to consider ways to keep pot retailers from opening shop in town.
While voters across the state approved the law by a 54 to 46 percent margin, Selectman Dean Nicastro said that more than 57 percent of Chatham voter...

CHATHAM — As of early this week, the last remnants of the Jan. 7 snowfall had yet to vanish completely. Nor had the memories of the storm.
Public Works Director Tom Temple praised the efforts of crews working to keep the roads plowed, despite a series of setbacks that left the town short of plows. Giving an update to the board of selectmen last week, Temple said it may be time for Chatham to consider using a l...

CHATHAM – Beginning Monday, Jan. 23, students at Chatham Elementary School will be looking for a little bit of good in everything.
The 10-day “Look for the Good” program aims to promote mindfulness and kindness and highlight gratitude among students and faculty through a variety of activities, including a “gratitude wall” where kids can post comments about the people, places and things in their lives that they...

CHATHAM — Saying it's time for the town to once again have a mooring officer, waterways advisory committee Chairman Peter Taylor has asked the harbormaster to quantify the cost of managing the town's mooring permits each year.
“Things aren't getting done because we don't have a mooring officer,” Taylor said at last Thursday's meeting. He had asked the committee to consider requesting an audit of mooring fee ...

CHATHAM – It's been a long struggle for Dale Eldredge.
A native who graduated from Chatham High School in 1993, Eldredge spent a dozen years working to acquire the title to a lot on Stony Hill Road owned by his family. Originally owned by his grandmother, the property's ownership was shared by a number of aunts and uncles; Eldredge had inherited his share when his father passed away. Over the years he was able...

CHATHAM — As usual, there is no shortage of ideas about how the town should spend its Community Preservation Act funds. So far there are proposals to use the money for restoration work at the Atwood House Museum and Chatham's VFW post building, and to advance the effort to create National Register historic districts in South Chatham and along Stage Harbor Road.
At the Jan. 9 meeting of the community preserva...